Sagra del Polentone di Molare
Molare's most-loved sagra: three late-August evenings of Pro Loco cooking in Piazza Dario Pesce that build to the scodellamento — a huge cauldron of polenta tipped steaming onto a long wooden table for the whole valley to share.
Why it's special
The scodellamento is the moment people wait twelve months for — master polentari pouring the finished polenta out over a long board — but the sagra is also three nights of village cooking, live music and the StraMolare road race through the streets.
Programme · 2026
Four days this year, with a new opening dinner; evening food stands from 19:30 serving ravioli (ragù, mushroom, in wine or plain), polenta (ragù, mushroom, friciolata, gorgonzola or plain), friciolata, sausage and skewers, pollo alla molarese, beans and chips, and a new polenta-crunch ice cream.
- Sunday's scodellamento late in the afternoon is the photo moment — get near the table before it starts.
- The Pro Loco kitchens are in Piazza Dario Pesce; come hungry, the polenta comes plain or with ragù, mushroom or gorgonzola.
The Sagra del Polentone is the sagra Molare waits all year for. For three evenings in late August the Pro Loco kitchens take over Piazza Dario Pesce, and the whole thing builds to the scodellamento: the master polentari tip an enormous cauldron of finished polenta out onto a long wooden table, in clouds of steam, for everyone to share. It's the moment the crowds — and the cameras — turn up for.
There's more to it than the polenta. The festival opens on the Friday with the StraMolare, a road race through the village, and each night brings dinner and live music, with a younger-crowd evening and a DJ set along the way. Sunday adds a craft and artisan fair in the afternoon before the polenta is served — plain or dressed with ragù, mushroom sauce or gorgonzola — alongside ravioli, sausage and grilled meats.
The 2026 edition ran 20–23 August, adding a Thursday "Cena di San Bernardo" to the usual three nights; in 2025 it was 22–24 August and in 2024 23–25 August. Dates land on a late-August weekend each year — check the comune site or VisitOvada nearer the time. See Molare for the rest of the Orba valley, and pair it in autumn with the Castagnata di Battagliosi.
Past editions
| Year | Dates | Programme |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 20–23 August 2026 | Four days this year, with a new opening dinner; evening food stands from 19:30 serving ravioli (ragù, mushroom, in wine or plain), polenta (ragù, mushroom, friciolata, gorgonzola or plain), friciolata, sausage and skewers, pollo alla molarese, beans and chips, and a new polenta-crunch ice cream. Thu 20 August – 20:00 "Cena di San Bernardo" (booking required). Fri 21 August – 19:00 the 10th StraMolare road race, then dinner and music with Sir Williams. Sat 22 August – dinner with DJ Mag. Sun 23 August – stalls, children's entertainment and bouncy castles through the village from the morning; 18:00 scodellamento of the Polentone, then music with Clan Banlieue. Sat 22 – Sun 23 August – historic photo exhibition in the Sala del Consiglio comunale. |
| 2025 | 22–24 August 2025 | Three evenings of Pro Loco cooking in Piazza Dario Pesce, closing with the famous scodellamento — the polenta tipped steaming onto a long wooden table. Fri 22 August – the StraMolare road race through the village (7:30 PM start), then dinner and live music with Sir Williams. Sat 23 August – dinner with a DJ set and a younger-crowd evening. Sun 24 August – craft and artisan fair in the afternoon; the polenta is cooked and served from around 5 PM, alongside ravioli, sausage and grilled meats. |